Misguided Disappointments
by razzledazzle41191
Summary: After Zuko's betrayal in Crossroads of Destiny, what will happen to Iroh? Will he be too hurt to trust Zuko? Does he even have the whole story?
1. Chapter 1

Iroh sat shivering in a cold Earth Kingdom cell. He had gone through so much in the past 48 hours. Two days ago, he was the proud new owner of a tea shop with family by his side, and now he was alone and at the Fire Nation's mercy. He truly was an outsider- hated by the Water and Earth nations for his days as a Fire Nation general, and now traitor to the Fire Nation; he had nowhere to go. If he COULD go, that is. His dastardly niece Azula had made sure that the tightest chains possible had been placed on his wrists and ankles. Azula had also made sure to point out that if he tried to firebend his way of the metal cell, he would be cooked. Azula seemed rather happy at this idea, but Zuko had just stared at the ground upon hearing this comment.

_Zuko._

The name, the very thought of his nephew was painful. His nephew's betrayal had hurt him more than anything he had ever known. A year ago he would have expected Zuko to do anything to regain his father's love, but he thought that he had changed over the past few months. He thought that Zuko had realized that Oazi's 'love' was only a motivator to have his son do the dirty work of capturing the Avatar for him. Iroh supposed that he had been a fool for that too.

At that moment it hit him. Iroh's emotions boiled over as he let out an angry sob. He had been so supportive to Zuko, through all of his mood swings and teenage rages. It had been several years since the death of his own son, Lu Ten, and Iroh had started thinking of Zuko less as a nephew and more like a son. What had he done wrong?

"Hey _Dragonfly_, shut up and take some food. It's all you'll get for today," a harsh voice said.

Iroh looked and saw a tray slide through the bottom of the door. He was rather hungry; however, closer inspection revealed his rations to be a slice of bread and a small cup of tea. Iroh gobbled up the bread, but savored the tea. Although it wasn't great, it was all he had, which wasn't much.

Iroh sipped the last of his tea and shifted his weight, trying to find a comfortable position, but failed. Sighing, he closed his eyes, and waited for sleep, which came rather slowly.


	2. Chapter 2

Iroh woke with a start. Someone was clanging the keys to open his cell door. Iroh wished it was someone with more food, but had a feeling who it really was, and was proved right when Azula walked in.

"Well hello Uncle," she said as she slithered in, "and how are we today?"

"Very well, considering the circumstances," Iroh replied

"Good. We don't want our prisoners unhappy."

"Is that all I am to you, a prisoner?"

"No, you're also a captured fugitive and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."

Iroh turned his head. Though he was too wise to take Azula's taunts seriously, he did not feel like listening to Azula any more.

"Awww, are you tired of our little chat, Uncle?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact."

"Then let me get straight to the crux of this visit. I have sent word to Father of your capture. He will be here in about a week, at which time your trial will begin. Oh yes, we will be fair and give you a trial. But I must admit, I don't think it shall be a long one. And when you are found guilty, you will be put to death. In the traditional Fire Nation way, of course."

Iroh shuddered. A traditional Fire Nation killing was very brutal: the prisoner was put in a center ring, stripped, and handcuffed to the ground by the hands and feet. Then, the council and Fire Lord surrounded the prisoner, and, one by one, let out an enormous blast of fire.

"Yes," said Azula, breaking Iroh's train of thought, "after you're dead, your body should make Zuzu's scar look like a beauty mark."

Iroh started.

"Aww, do you _miss_ Zuko? Well the feeling's not mutual. I've never seen him happier. I think he's happy that he's finally being allowed to reach his full potential. I think he was _miserable_ with you. Well, who couldn't be?" asked Azula as she turned. "Eight days, Uncle, that's all you have to live." And with that, she left.

Iroh slumped against the wall. Although not entirely unexpected, this news was devastating. He knew that his brother was brutal, and would have no trouble murdering him. But then there was Zuko- part of Iroh told him to ignore Azula, but another part reminded him how much Zuko wanted Fire Nation glory. Maybe Zuko was sending troops out to capture the Avatar right now. Iroh hoped they failed. Aang was the world's last chance for hope and peace, and was probably still wounded from his last confrontation with Azula and Zuko.

The doors clanged again. Iroh, assuming it was Azula back for round two, turned his body as far away from the door as possible.

"Uncle?" said a shaky voice.

Iroh turned slowly. Zuko was at the door.


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you want, Zuko?" Iroh asked.

"_Prince_ Zuko to you, prisoner!" shouted the guard. He started to run towards Iroh, presumably to hit him, but Zuko stopped him.

"No, it's ok. You can leave now," said Zuko.

"Yes your highness," the guard said as he bowed and backed out of the cell.

"What do you want, Zuko?" Iroh repeated.

"To clear up some things with you."

"What's there to clear up? You sold me and every ounce of dignity in your body for your Fire Nation honor!" Iroh screamed. He was livid.

Zuko looked at him, pleading in his eyes. "You don't understand, Uncle. I'm not doing this for Azula. And I'm not doing this to gain honor."

Iroh snorted. He had difficulty believing that.

"I know you don't believe me, but just hear me out," said Zuko.

"What choice do I have? It's not like I can go anywhere," said Iroh, gesturing his hands to his chains.

Zuko looked behind him before taking a key out of his pocket and inserting into the door. The flaps closed immediately, and they were submerged into darkness.

"What are you doing?" asked Iroh.

"I've need to make sure we can't be seen or heard," was the reply. Zuko lit a small fire in his hand, and placed it into a small lantern he had hidden in his bag. He then reached across to his uncle, and freed him of his chains.

"Thanks," Iroh said grudgingly, gingerly rubbing his wrists and ankles. He got up and walked around for the first time in days.

Zuko let his uncle explore his newfound freedom before saying, "Uncle? We don't have much time."

Taking the hint, Iroh sat down across from Zuko. "Now, why am I supposed to trust you?"

Zuko straightened up. "Because I'm not double crossing you. I'm double crossing Azula."

Iroh stared at him. Was he supposed to believe that? Azula had probably sent him to get information.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true."

"Well, can you give me any proof you're not a double-crossing liar?"

"Think about it Uncle! Azula thinks I've abandoned you! I'm in perfect position to find out what she's up to! I know I'm not really going to regain my honor, ever. I'm just playing the part."

The wheels started turning in Iroh's head. "But Azula said you'd never been happier!"

"Uncle, if I act depressed and ashamed of my actions, she would doubt me, and my cover would be blown! But if I act proud to have screwed you over, I, and you, remain alive. I know Azula might try to have me poisoned, which is why I've been eating food for the prisoners. That guard that let me in is working with me. He only yelled at you to put on a show."

Iroh could not believe the ingenuity of his nephew. Why had he ever doubted him? "I'm sorry for ever doubting you, Zuko."

"It's ok, Uncle. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner, but this is the first opportunity I've had to talk for more than a few minutes. And sorry about the food, I know it's terrible. I tried to make you some tea, but I probably didn't do a very good job."

Iroh smiled at his nephew. "You did a great job. Looks like you learned something from your old uncle after all."

"I've learned a lot more than tea," said Zuko as he embraced his uncle.

A few minutes later, the windows to the cell were back open to reveal no Zuko and Iroh chained back up, but Iroh had never looked happier.


	4. Chapter 4

Iroh sat down at a table in a forest with a cup of hot Jasmine tea. What such great joy from something so simple! There was only one way to make this scene better- well, two actually. And as if by magic, his two favorite people, his son and nephew, entered from the trees, both smiling. They sat down, and Iroh poured them each a cup of tea. They sat like that for what seemed like forever, just sitting, drinking their tea, enjoying each other. Then suddenly, Lu Ten and Zuko slammed their cups down and, in the blink of the eye, disappeared. Iroh looked around and saw the rocks from the mountains falling with a

**BANG**

The door to his cell slammed open, jerking Iroh from his Ivory Tower of sleep to reality. In stormed Azula, angrier than he had ever seen her.

"Did you think you were being clever? Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

Iroh noted that even in her anger, Azula did not have to shout to install fear. She was a paradox of emotions- full of rage yet in complete control.

"So whose idea was it- yours or Zuko's?"

Iroh wasn't sure if she had all the details, so he didn't want to say anything just yet.

"What are you talking about?"

"_Princess_ to you, peasant. And you know what I'm talking about- Zuko conspiring with you. I've known ever since your 'secret meeting' last week. The good news is that now the Fire Lord won't have to judge two trials of traitors: he can do them both, tomorrow at noon. Start counting down your final hours, Uncle. This time tomorrow, your body will be nothing more than charcoal."

And with that, she slammed the door.

Iroh rested his head against the wall. So, they were found out, and the odds were not good. There was no escape. He has just been put in a new cell where his wrists were bound to the wall with no additional chain. Firebending was no help against metal chains. Metal had an extremely high melting point. Unless…

Iroh knew that he was a very strong bender, but he also knew that he would need an enormous amount of willpower to do what he had to do. Taking a deep breath to balance his chi, Iroh pointed the fingers on his right hand toward his bound left wrist and sent blue flames toward the metal cuff. He tried to keep the fire concentrated in one area so that he could get his wrist through easier, but the entire shackle got hot. In about a minute the shackle started burning his hand. Iroh clenched his teeth together to try to bear the feeling of flesh burning. A horrible smell filled the room. Iroh started going dizzy, but kept on, because he knew that soon the shackle would bend to his will.

He finally had a hole big enough to slide his hand through, and his left hand was free! But when he looked at it, Iroh saw that he had lost a lot of skin. Most of it was red, and he could it was bleeding. He threw up. He couldn't do this again. It was too painful. He couldn't do this to his other wrist. Azula would win. He was through. Iroh put his head down. Stars appeared in his eyes. He was so dazed. But in his confusion, two very clear faces appeared. Two faces that he thought about often. Two faces that gave him strength. Two faces that told him to continue no matter the odds. One face was gone from him, but the other was not, and that face needed him.

With a new bout of courage, Iroh created a new, more intense ball of fire. His right hand was burned, but he took the pain better. He concentrated on Zuko, not the pain. Iroh knew he had a way out of this hellhole. He knew he could do it. Once he had burned through all of his chains he could burn a hole through the door. Then he could escape and find Zuko, and they could leave the prison, right under Azula's nose. If everything went to plan, he was a free man.


	5. Chapter 5

Two guards banged on Iroh's door. No one responded. One looked inside and saw that the chains were in shambles. He looked to the right and left corners, and saw the prisoner in the left corner. Annoyed, he opened the door and turned the man over. He was rather large and appeared to be dead. From the look of him, he had burned himself to death. Probably a suicide. He saw a lot of those in his work. He motioned to his friend to take a look and when they leaned in….

**THUMP**

Iroh kicked the two guards in the worst place possible, and as they were down, banged their heads against the wall to knock them out for several hours. Hopefully, Iroh would be long gone by then. He would have to work quickly to find Zuko. Iroh looked in every cell in his hall, but had no luck. He came to an intersection and chose left. 10 cells later, he came back to the intersection and kept going to the second hall. Zuko wasn't in any of those cells either. Panicking, he walked back and tried the last corridor. No Zuko, but there was some stairs leading up. Iroh followed them to more prison cells. After inspecting 10 more cells, Zuko was still missing.

Iroh wanted to stop and calm himself down, but knew that he did not have that luxury. He climbed to the third floor, which contained nothing more than the kitchen and eating area. Climbing to the fourth floor proved to be more rewarding. It was full of bedrooms that got more lavish the farther he went. He looked in one that seemed out of place: it had a canopy bed in the middle, a desk covered in papers in one corner, and _Zuko_ in the other.

"Zuko!" whispered Iroh as their eyes locked.

In his ecstasy at finding Zuko, he hadn't noticed that Zuko's hands were tied behind his back and he was only kneeling because his ankles were tied.

"Don't Uncle! It's a trap!"

But it was too late. Iroh was already in the room.

The door slammed behind him. He spun around and saw Azula standing there, laughing.


	6. Chapter 6

"I knew you would come after your _precious_ Zuko. You're too predictable, Uncle. I'd say that next time, you should try to be a little more sneaky, but there won't be a next time because Father gave me permission to kill you if you tried to escape."

Azula let out a bolt of lightening, which Iroh directed away from himself. He sent back a few quick fireballs, which Azula all deflected. She sent out more lightening, but this time, Iroh sent it back to her. He threw some flaming disks that caused Azula to jump like a cat. She created a lightening whip and swung it at Iroh. She would have made contact with his face if his own lightening whip hadn't stopped hers. They crashed whip against whip for several minutes, each getting more tired with each swing. Creating lightening was hard, but harnessing it and using it as a weapon took a true firebending master. It took a lot of energy out of a person, which was evident in both Azula and Iroh. But Iroh had been weakened by his imprisonment, and could not give as much as Azula. Seeing this, Azula started attacking more fervently. She pushed Iroh on his back, who kept trying to fight. Azula delivered a heavy blow and Iroh's feeble whip disappeared.

"I always knew a member of our family would kill you. I'm just honored it's me," she said as she loomed over the very defenseless Iroh.

She created a small blaze of lightening in her hand. Iroh closed his eyes and braced himself, but instead of feeling flames he heard a grunt. Iroh opened his eyes. Zuko stood beside where Azula had been moments before, arm outstretched, fingers smoking.

"How?" question Iroh weakly.

"While you two were fighting, I was able to burn off my ropes. Azula was so wrapped up in trying to kill you that she didn't notice me."

"So, what should we do with her?"

Zuko thought for a moment. "Let's leave her in here and set everything on fire. That way, either she'll die or have terrible scars," as he ran his hand over his own.

Iroh smiled. "I love the irony," as he flamed a curtain.

* * *

After the intense battle with Azula, escaping seemed easy. The two men climbed out the window and were thankful when they saw that it was night. They ran quickly and didn't stop until they reached a darkened alley.

"What should we do now?" asked Zuko.

"We have several options," said Iroh. "We could stay here in the city, or we could join the Avatar to try to stop the war."

Zuko put his head down. "I'm sorry Uncle, but I just don't think that I could fight beside the Avatar. Maybe in the future, but not now. Too much has happened between us."

"I understand, nephew. Then should we stay in the city?"

"No, it's too dangerous. I think we should leave Ba Sing Se and go back to being nomads."

"That sounds great. But we'll have to leave right now before the outer gate wall guards are informed to look for us."

Zuko nodded assent. They ran as quickly as their sore bodies let them, but Iroh wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
